Remember the first time you went to a friend’s sleepover, or went to summer camp? Perhaps you felt a bit homesick for your own bed, stuffed animal or your mom’s cooking. Homesickness is usually something our culture often associates with young children, however, sometimes even big kids get homesick too.

Maybe you got that first “real” job and are moving halfway across the country. Maybe you are in the midst of a summer internship in another state, perhaps you are studying abroad this summer in another country, or perhaps you are spending the summer at school taking college classes to lighten your load in preparation for the fall semester. Whatever, the reason, you are not at home this summer. And, sometimes even when you are having a great time in your new surroundings, homesickness will hit you when you least expect it.

However, even if a tinge of homesickness creeps in, there are steps you can take to cope when you missing the comforts of home.

1. Keep in touch: Thanks to the advent of the cell phone, Facebook, Twitter and Skype, you can keep in contact with loved ones on a daily basis. However, sending 60 tweets per day to mom, dad, sister, brother or boyfriend may be a bit much.

2. Bring a small photo album with pictures of family and friends. While it’s great to make new friends, it’s still a nice reminder to see the smiling faces of people from home.

3. Plan a visit: Depending on where you are located in relation to your hometown, this may be out of the question. However, if you are only a state away or a two-hour plane ride away, perhaps you can arrange a visit home for the weekend. Or, perhaps your friends or family members can even visit you. Then you can can play tour guide and show them around your new home away from home.

4. Talk with new friends: Sometimes if you are feeling homesick, the best thing you can do is talk with other people around you. Even talking about your families or friends can be a great way to bond and may also relieve your temporary feeling of homesickness.

5. Stay busy: Last, but not least, it is wise to fill your free time with sight seeing, working out, reading books, watching movies and hanging out with new friends. The busier you are, the less likely you will stay homesick. After all, if you are in a new place you might as well explore it. You already know your hometown inside and out, but finding that hole in the wall restaurant or the peaceful unpopulated park in your new surroundings will be a real treat.

Remember, it’s normal to feel a little homesick. But, hopefully with these pieces of advice you will overcome your bout of homesickness in record time.